|
LapLogic G800 (W800) Aerogel Extreme LapDesk
Analysis:
I don't like the pocket provided. It is very loose, and it is on the underside of the LapDesk. This might be useful if the LapDesk were transportable, but the problem is...
It's not transportable, at least in the sense that you cannot roll it up and stuff it in your bag. This product is rigid and is the same size as the average laptop. There is no way it would fit in a normal laptop bag, along with your coveted laptop. You'd need a backpack, briefcase, or some other very large carry-on to bring this product with you to work, school, etc. After all, you supposedly bought this product to protect yourself from the evil laptop of death. It makes no sense not to bring this product with you to prevent third-degree burns.
Upon actually placing the G800 on my lap and placing the laptop on top... To be honest, I don't notice much difference. Sure, warm air from the laptop fans are being kept away from my legs, but the LapDesk itself is held against the legs, thus not allowing much air flow. Then again, my laptop CPU doesn't normally run higher than 55C, even without a cooler. Something that is both a pro and a con to this product is the fact that the surface material is sticky. It is sticky and strange to the touch, but you need not worry about the laptop slipping off. Below, you'll see the maximum angle at which I could hold the laptop and it not slip off the LapDesk. You'll notice that it's close to a 45 degree angle.
 |
 |
| Size Reference | Incline Reference |
The problem with this product has absolutely nothing to do with the design; it has a fantastic overall design, and it makes use of the Aerogel material. The problem, in my view, lies in the fact that if your laptop underside is regularly so hot that you simply cannot rest it on your lap without protection (in other words, you need an award-winning material used as an insulator), something is wrong with your laptop in the first place. White it is true that components can get so hot as to be dangerous, this is not advised to allow for regular operation since you will lose a great deal of efficiency, not to mention the wear and tear put on to the components. The fact that LapLogic makes no claim whatsoever that this product will help cool the laptop down is no consolation, and they leave it up for interpretation by simply mentioning it as a possibility.
Then again, for those times where you may run a resource-intensive software for a period of time, there is no doubt that you would be much more comfortable with the laptop on your lap with one of these LapDesks in between the laptop and your skin.
Conclusion:
All that said, LapLogic has made a solid product. Quite frankly, however, I don't see many who would need the Aerogel material, especially since it drives the price up to $70 for the G800, or $80 for the W800, which is the wide version and offers a section with a mouse pad for those who prefer a mouse over the touch pad. The product is intended for what they refer to as "power users", which seems to translate to "people whose laptops are dangerously hot." In all fairness, it's true that some parts inside can get dangerously hot, but if this is a problem on the user's end (in regards to the vents and casing) that an award-winning material can only solve, your laptop is running too hot. While I agree that most laptop users should have some form of protection, a material used by NASA on "the Mars Rover and StarDust interplanetary probe" (link) seems unnecessary, even to high-end laptop users.
Again, the laptop shouldn't regularly run at extremely high temperatures, but for the peak moments where, for short periods of time, the processor and other components are working at full capacity, this would provide more than enough protection. For example, they mention graphics artists and high-end gamers as the only real specific example of a target audience, aside from "other extreme laptop users." I could see how this would be useful graphics artists who need to be able to bring their resource-intensive work with them, and for gamers who may attend LAN parties or wish to kill some time between classes at college. While this product would be considered overkill for the vast majority of laptop users, it has its audience who would find it useful.
However, not to shoo others away from LapLogic because, as I said, they made a quality product. Their older model LapDesk, the G700 (or W700 for the version with the mouse pad), is the exact same product, but without the record-holding insulation material, and they start at $50, which is more realistic in regards to what it'd be used for. Although it won't protect from the evil laptop of death, it should provide relief for those whose laptops are uncomfortably hot on the underside. Or, if you'd like something more transportable, they also make a line of LapPads, which can be rolled up and taken with you, and they start at $20.
There is no doubt that LapLogic is trying to create some buzz by pushing a revolutionary, one-of-a-kind product into the spotlight. For those who need it, the G800 (or W800) is available for sale. For those who don't need such an extreme product, LapLogic may still have something that meets your needs.
REAL TIME PRICING